Acting Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev wants to keep classified information secret forever. The government has submitted for public discussion a draft amendment to the Law on the Protection of Classified Information, which provides for significant changes in the access and storage of secret documents, BGNES reports.
One of the most significant moments in the bill is the removal of time limits for classifying information. According to the current legislation, different levels of classified information have specific terms - from 6 months to 30 years, depending on the security clearance. The new texts provide for the possibility of indefinite classification, if the grounds for protecting the information have not ceased to exist.
Access to classified information
Another key change concerns the vice-presidential institution. The draft law provides that the vice president will receive automatic access to classified information upon assuming office, without going through the previously mandatory vetting procedure.
Impacts on local government
The draft law also introduces serious changes to the Local Self-Government and Local Administration Act. Mayors will have to submit documents for a security vetting within two months of assuming office. If this deadline is not met or if access to classified information is refused, they will lose their credentials.
Extension of vetting deadlines
The draft law provides for unifying the vetting deadlines for candidates for access to classified information to 90 days, regardless of the level of access. Currently, these deadlines vary between 30 and 60 days. According to SANS, the institution carries out an average of 11,300 vettings per year of candidates for access to state secrets.